Fireworks and method of making same.



AARON JEDEL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIREWORKS AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

No Drawing.

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, AARoN Jnonn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fireworks and Methods of Making Same, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the production of the materials used for example, for coating an iron or similar wire, for the production of fire works, ordinarily known in the trade as sparklers.

A composition consisting of finely powdered aluminum, steel in the form of small chips, starch or similar agglutinating material, and barium nitrate, or other oxidizer which also more or less alters the color of the flame) is mixed up with water, or other vehicle to form a. thin paste, into which the wires are dipped, and then taken out and allowed to dry, after which these are ready for shipment. This much of the invention is substantially old, and I lay no claim per se to this. In practising according to said process, certain objections have been found to exist, namely that the steel or iron after being applied to the wires, will corrode or rust, which rusting may take place on the surface of the grains or particles only, or may extend practically throughout the entire mass of said particles. Such rusting or oxidation obviously renders the metal non-combustible, and even a very thin layer of iron rust on the surface of the particles will greatly reduce the sparkling efiect, produced by the combustion of such articles, since the iron oxid has a comparatively high specific heat, and does not readily transmit heat to the interior, or metallic iron or steel, and also prevents the ready access of the air or oxidizing atmosphere produced from the barium nitrate or other oxidizer. In order to overcome this difficulty, and to render the steel or iron particles perfectly stable, I

- treat the same preferably by the method described below, with linseed oil, although certain other oils may be employed. For this step of coating or impregnation of the steel chips, I place the steel chips in a device similar to a coffee roaster, and heat the same to a temperature of about 150 F., the material being agitated and tumbled meanwhile by rotation of the container, while at the same time it is sprayed with boiled lin- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 6,1915.

Application filed July 3, 1914. Serial No. 848,979.

seed oil or other suitable coating material, which shall be substantially free from water.

I find in practice that by rotating the drum containing the steel chips for one and one half to two hours, after the introduction of the linseed oil, the amount of oil being substantially one half pound to fifty pounds of the steel chips (about 1%), and the temperature being maintained at about 150 F., that this step is substantially complete, although I do not limit myself to the exact time, temperature, or proportions, nor to the specific mode of applying the oil to the chips. The steel chips treated in this way, become substantially uniformly coated with the linseed oil, although the amount of linseed oil is not sufiicient to give any substantial excess which would form a pasty or plastic mass. The chips thus treated are substantially water-proof, and hence are substantially rust proof. The small film of linseed oil also acts as a kindler during the burning of the sparkler, which produces a more brilliant effect, in addition to rendering the steel perfectly stable. Obviously the steel can not depreciate or rust and n0 moisture can reach the steel chips, by virtue of this film of oil. The sparks produced by the combustion of said chips are also larger and last for a longer time, hence greatly enhance the value of the product. The aluminum which is employed in the form of a fine powder, in the mixture is also more or less liable to oxidation, particularly in damp hot weather, such as during the month of June, when these materials are held in stock in large quantities, and the present invention contemplates a mode of preventing this oxidation of the aluminum.

The starch or other material used as an agglutinant is liable to fermentation both during the process of manufacture and after the manufacture is complete, and the articles are shipped. In the actual carrying out of this process, I prefer to use dextrin instead of starch, since dextrin has better binding or agglutinating properties.

In order to prevent the oxidation of the aluminum, and to prevent the fermentation of the starch or dextrin, or similar agglutinant, I add to the bath, namely to the mixture of powdered aluminum, coated steel chips, dextrin or starch, barium nitrate and water, a suitable material such as a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and formaldehyde, which mixture prevents both the oXidation or deterioration of the aluminum and the fermentation of the starchor dextrin.

As a preferred embodiment of the invention, I may mix together 6.; pounds of finely powdered aluminum, 31;}; pounds of coated steel chips, 12%,; pounds of dextrin or starch, 50 pounds of barium nitrate, 2 ounces of a 40% solution of formaldehyde, and 5 ounces of bicarbonate of soda, together with sufficient Water to form a thin paste, which should be sufficiently thin to run easily. Into this mixture the Wires are clipped and then taken out and allowed to dry. The sparklers thus produced are stable against all atmospheric influences, and produce better light and better sparks, than those produced according to the old method.

The use of the term steel chips in the claims is intended to cover chips made of steel, or made of similar material, such as iron, although the steel gives much better 1 results, than does iron.

What I claim 'is:-

1. As a new material suitable for use in the preparation of fire-works, the herein described product comprising steel chips, substantially uniformly and completely coated with about 1% of linseed oil,

2. A process of treating metal chips for subsequent use in the manufacture of fireworks, which comprises spraying a mass of chips composed of a ferruginous metal with about 1% of a fatty oil, while maintaining said chips at a temperature of about 150 F., and agitating the mass of chips, at said temperature to cause the oil to spreadover substantially the entire surface of the several chips.

3. A process of treating steel chips for subsequent use in the preparation of fire- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

